Hose nozzle attachment



April 1950 E. CUNNINGHAM 2,505,101

HOSE NOZZLE ATTACHMENT Filed April 23, 1948 Fig. 4

Lawrence E. Cun ningham INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 25, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOSE NOZZLE ATTAOHMENT Lawrence E. Cunningham, Olympia, Wash.

Application April 23, 1948, Serial No. 22,772

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a guard for a gasoline hose nozzle and is to prevent damage to a vehicular surface.

An object of the invention, therefore, is to enable a gasoline station attendant while engaged in filling the tank of a vehicle to avoid damaging or nicking the paint of the vehicle with the metallic guard structure of a conventional hose nozzle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device that can be quickly and easily secured in its operative position.

Other objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art and is best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the guard of the invention mounted on a hose nozzle;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device mounted on the hose nozzle;

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the guard member per se and,

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view of the device taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Auto gasoline tanks are usually filled from storage tanks by means of a flexible hose having a metal nozzle and valve construction, the nozzle being inserted into the neck of the gasoline tank during the filling operation. In so disposing the nozzle, it frequently occurs that the paint of the automobile body is accidentally scratched or chipped or otherwise damaged. And this is more apt to occur when the gasoline inlet is concealed by a trap door in the automobile fender. In order to avoid this, the guard about to be described has been devised.

Referring to Figure 1, an automobile gasoline tank Ill is opened to receive a gasoline hose nozzle l2. The nozzle l2 includes the usual valve control means I4 mounted thereon and includes an actuating trigger it and hand guard 8.

The hose nozzle guard 20 of the invention is best seen in Figure 3 and includes a flat, elongated resilient member 22 which terminates at one end in an enlarged circular portion or ring 24, which is coplanar with the member, as seen in Figure 3. The member 22 includes a channeled section 26 extending the length thereof and terminating at a point spaced from the enlarged portion 24. Opposing parallel wall sections 28 extend integrally upwardly from the opposing longitudinal edges of the member 22 and terminate in a beveled inner end spaced from the enlarged portion 24, with inwardly turned 2 flanged edges 32 formed thereon and overlying the channel 2%. Ring 24 is centrally apertured at 32 for a purpose soon to be described.

The operation of the device is readily apparent. The guard 2Q is slipped on flexible hose nozzle l2 and slid therealong until it is stopped from further movement by the edge of control valve I l. Meanwhile, member 22 has slidingly received hand guard E8 in channel 26 and the device is retained in position by means of flanges 30. The portion of member 22 that lacks the wall section 28, is bent around the forward end of [8. Ring 24 is frictionally held on nozzle l2 by the biasing action of member 22.

While the preferred material is synthetic rubber, since it is not affected by contact with gasoline, any other type of molded rubber or resilient material will be satisfactory. If necessary, a ground connection between pump and automobile is provided. The device is supplied in any desired color.

It is obvious that the invention is not limited to the construction illustrated. The guard member will be modified to suit the size of gasoline hose and type of valve control.

It is to be understood therefore, that the particular form of the apparatus shown and described, are presented for the purposes of explanation and illustration, and that various modifications can be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination with a conventional hose nozzle dispensing structure for a gas tank, said structure including a valve housing having a front face, a tubular nozzle smaller than said front face connected thereto and leaving a portion of said face exposed, a valve actuating trigger carried by the housing and a metallic guard for said trigger, said metallic guard being so connected to said housing that one end of the outer face of the metallic guard is substantially flush with the front face of the valve housing, a protective covering for said guard including a flat flexible elongated strip, upright opposing side walls integrally formed on the marginal edges of the strip adjacent one end to receive the side edges of the guard, clamping means associated with the side walls for embracing the guard and clamping the end portions of the strip thereon, an enlarged annular ring integrally formed on the other end of the strip and disposed coplanar with the strip, said ring being slidably received on the nozzle to protectably cover the exposed front portion of the valve housing, when the strip is transversely flexed and positioned on the guard.

2. In combination with a conventional hose nozzle dispensing structure for a gas tank, said structure including a Valve housing having a front face, a tubular nozzle smaller than said front face connected thereto and leaving a portion of said face exposed, a valve actuating trigger carried by the housing and a metallic guard for said trigger, said metallic guard being so connected to said housing that one end of the outer face of the metallic guard is substantially flush with the front face of the valve housing, a protective covering for said guard comprising a flat flexible elongated strip, upright opposing side walls integrally formed on the longitudinal side edges of the strip adjacent one end thereof and adapted toengage against the opposing side edges of the guard, laterally extending inwardly directed complementary clamping flanges formed integrally on the upper edges of the side Walls and adapted to embrace the guard, an enlarged annular ring integrally formed on the other end of the strip and disposed coplanar with the strip, said ring being formed with a central opening and adapted to slidably engage on the nozzle and abut against the exposed front portion of the valve housing, when the strip is medially flexed and positioned on the guard.

LAWRENCE E. CUNNINGHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the. file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

